Libertarianism
Topic: Political Theory: Freedom and Rights · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Libertarianism is a political theory that puts individual liberty and private property above every other value. It wants only a "night-watchman" state, meaning a government whose only job is to protect people against force, theft and fraud. Its best-known thinker is Robert Nozick (Anarchy, State, and Utopia, 1974). Nozick argued that taxing people to give money to others is like forced labour. This matters because it is the strongest case against a large welfare state.
Example
India's Constitution asks the state to provide for its people through the DPSP and welfare laws such as the NFSA 2013. A libertarian would object that taxing earners to pay for such schemes takes away part of their work without their consent.
Don't confuse with
- Anarchism: anarchists want no state at all. Libertarians accept a small state that keeps order.
- Classical liberalism: it also puts the individual first. But modern liberalism accepts the welfare state, and libertarianism rejects it.